How to Do the Tricep Pushdown: Form, Attachments, Mistakes and Variations

In short

To do a tricep pushdown, set a cable pulley at its highest point, hold a straight bar (or a rope, one end in each hand) with your hands about shoulder-width apart, and lean forward slightly. Pin your elbows to your sides and push the handle down until your arms are straight, then let it rise slowly while your elbows stay still. The exercise trains your triceps, the muscle on the back of your upper arm.

Everyone wants strong, well-developed triceps, and the cable pushdown is an exercise that can help. It is a crazy exercise that focuses the load on the triceps with amazing precision. This article has everything you need to know, including benefits, technique, common mistakes and some crazy tips. So let's get started.

This page goes deep into one exercise. For a full triceps workout with more exercises, see my guide to the best tricep exercises.

Muscles worked

The main muscle is the triceps brachii, which straightens your elbow. It has three heads, and all three work in a pushdown.

What the research shows

• In one study, 25 people did pushdowns to failure at three loads and three speeds while the activity (EMG) of all three heads was recorded. All three heads worked and fatigued at a similar rate, but they did not behave identically, and heavier loads changed all three heads more than faster speeds did. This is a short lab test, not a growth study.
• Pushdowns are often described as lateral- and medial-head exercises. None of the studies in this guide tested pushdowns alone, but in the 12-week study under Variations, the arm trained at the side of the body (close to a pushdown) grew in its long head (19.6%) and in its lateral and medial heads measured together (10.5%), so its long head grew by the largest percentage. So treat that description with caution.

Benefits of the tricep pushdown

Builds crazy muscle mass

The cable pushdown is one of the most effective triceps exercises for building muscle mass, for several reasons.

• The body position in the exercise almost completely switches off all the other muscles, and helps focus the load on the triceps.
• You can lift heavy weights with precision on the triceps, because there is no need to stabilize the body much.
• The range of motion and the time under load in the exercise are very high. The cable keeps the triceps under load through the whole exercise, from the bent-arm position to full extension.

An excellent exercise for beginners

The technique of the pushdown is very easy to learn, so it is one of the most recommended exercises for beginner trainees. The variation that best suits beginners is the cable pushdown with a straight bar. The technique with a straight bar is the easiest to learn, and you feel the triceps in the best way.

Lots of variations

You can do the pushdown with a straight bar, a rope, a triangle (V-bar) and even with handles. Each variation creates a different movement and a different load on the triceps.

For example, you can do the exercise with one arm at a time using a handle. This will help you improve the balance between your two arms. The handle makes it possible to give an equal load to each arm. When you work with both hands at the same time, the strong arm will compensate for the weak arm and take more of the load.

A good warm-up

Because the load is easy to aim at the triceps, a light set or two of pushdowns is a good way to warm up the elbows and triceps before heavier arm work.

How to do triceps pushdowns on the cable

• Set the pulley (the cable) to the highest point possible.
• Grip the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, and lean forward slightly.
• Press your elbows to your body, and keep them close throughout the whole movement.
• Start lowering your palms downward, until your arms are straight.
• Bring the bar back up. Do not go all the way up, otherwise the load will drop off the triceps.
• Repeat for the number of reps, until the end of the set.

A few details that help: hold the bar with your palms facing down, stand close to the machine with your feet about hip-width apart and your knees soft, and move only your forearms. Let the bar rise slowly and under control, and stop when your forearms are about parallel to the floor, or slightly above. Keep your shoulders down, away from your ears; keep your wrists straight and in line with your forearms; and keep the same body angle on every rep, so your lean does not grow as you get tired. Breathing out as you push down and in as the bar rises is a common coaching cue, not a rule.

Common mistakes

Elbows flaring out to the sides

This mistake has two main causes: the first is not understanding the technique. The second is trying to train with too heavy a weight.

When we do triceps pushdowns with a weight we cannot handle, we automatically open the elbows out to the side. The elbows flaring out means we won't manage to focus the load on the triceps, because the shoulders will take part of the load in the exercise.

Incomplete range of motion

Another mistake in triceps pushdowns is to do only half a movement. When we do half a movement, you get half of the effectiveness of the exercise.

To get the range of motion right, you need to make sure of two things. The first is to go all the way down, and the second is to come up almost all the way.

For heavy sets, advanced trainees do not straighten the elbows completely, because that causes a very large load to reach the elbows. They stop just a second before the final straightening of the elbows. After training for a long time, you start working with very heavy weights. This load accumulates, and may cause an elbow injury.

Momentum

This is a common mistake that people make in almost every exercise. Instead of lifting the weight only with the triceps, they use swinging to lift the weight. Remember that our goal is to work the triceps, not to lift as much weight as possible.

In addition, think about this: from the side it looks not professional at all. Such a technique doesn't impress anyone; people will understand that you probably don't know what you are doing in the gym.

Variations of the tricep pushdown

Rope pushdown

You can also do the triceps pushdown with a rope. The rope gives us the option of rotating the hands during the movement. The movement with the rope also makes us work the three heads of the triceps in a more balanced way, and with a larger range of motion.

To do it, hold the rope ends with your palms facing each other. As you push down, spread the rope ends apart so your hands finish beside your thighs.

A tip from my triceps guide: bring your elbows slightly in front of your body, still close to your sides, and keep them fixed there for the whole set. And don't make the rope pushdown your first or second triceps exercise, because with cold triceps the forearms take over part of the load.

Change the variation every few weeks on a plan, not in every workout.

Triceps pushdown with resistance bands

If you want to train at home, this is the triceps exercise for you. Instead of the cable machine, you can use resistance bands. Resistance bands are one of the most effective pieces of training equipment on the market today. You can do a whole workout with them alone.

To do the triceps pushdown with resistance bands, simply hang the bands on a stable bar or hook. In addition, you can also attach handles, a bar, and any accessory that connects to cables to the resistance bands.

Triceps pushdown with handles

This variation of the exercise makes it possible to work each arm separately. It helps especially people who have a large difference in size between the right and left arm. You can do this exercise both with cables and with resistance bands or rubber bands.

Hold a single handle, keep your working elbow at your side, and put your free hand on your hip or on the machine for balance. Start each set with your weaker arm, and do the same number of reps with the stronger one.

Straight bar, rope or V-bar: which attachment?

The research on attachments is thin. In one EMG study of standing pushdowns, the handle shape (a standard handle and two ball handles) changed how some forearm muscles worked, but triceps activity was similar across the handles. That study did not test a rope or a V-bar. So choose the attachment that feels best on your wrists and elbows and lets you feel the triceps working, and rotate between them over time.

Reverse-grip pushdown

Hold a straight bar or an EZ bar with your palms facing up. Your forearms and grip work harder, so you will use a lighter weight. It is a way to change the feel of the exercise, not a proven way to target one head.

Overhead cable extension

Face away from the machine, hold a rope behind your head with the cable coming from above or behind you, and straighten your arms forward and up. This is the same elbow movement with your arms overhead, which stretches the long head more.

In a 12-week study, 21 adults trained one arm with overhead cable extensions and the other with cable extensions with the arm at the side of the body, which is close to a pushdown. The overhead arm grew more (the long head by 28.5% versus 19.6%, and the whole triceps by 19.9% versus 13.9%, measured by MRI), even though it lifted lighter weights. Both arms grew. So pushdowns still work, and adding an overhead exercise gives your triceps something pushdowns don't. For a lying option with your arms in front of you, see the skull crusher.

Sets, reps and where it fits in your workout

• Reps: 10-15 per set, with a weight you control on every rep.
• Sets: 3, with about 60-90 seconds of rest.
• Effort: stop most sets when you could do one or two more good reps.
• Tempo: push down with control and let the bar rise over about two seconds. A review of eight studies (sets to failure) found similar growth with reps lasting anywhere from about half a second to eight seconds, so control matters more than an exact count.
• Order: a light set as a warm-up at the start, and working sets after your pressing and overhead exercises.

Sample triceps workout

How to track it and when to go heavier

Example log (illustrative numbers, not a real trainee's results). Cable stacks differ between machines, so compare your own numbers only on the same machine.

When every set reaches 15 good reps, move the pin to the next step. If that jump is too big, add a small add-on weight if your machine has one, or stay and slow the lowering down.

Safety

A lot of the load in this exercise reaches the elbow, so warm up with a light set or two and pick a weight you can control on every rep. Straighten your arms smoothly instead of snapping into the lock, and on heavy sets stop just short of a full lockout. If your elbows feel sore, lower the weight and do more reps, or try a rope or a V-bar instead of the straight bar. At the end of a set, hold the handle and let it rise until the plates rest gently on the stack; if you let go at the bottom, the cable snaps up and the plates crash. With a resistance band, check that the anchor cannot slip before you start. Stop the set if it hurts, or as soon as your elbows drift and you start to swing.

Bottom line

The cable triceps pushdown is one of the most beloved exercises among trainees in triceps workouts. It is a wonderful exercise with simple technique and plenty of benefits. It's not for nothing that lots of bodybuilders love it. It is very easy to focus the load on the triceps with it, it is easy to contract and stretch the triceps, it offers a large range of motion and it is very good for warming up.

Keep your elbows at your sides, use the full range, skip the swinging, and change the variation every few weeks.

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the tricep pushdown work?

All three heads of the triceps, the muscle on the back of your upper arm. Your core, shoulders and upper back play a small supporting role, and your forearms hold the handle.

Which triceps head does the pushdown work most?

It is often described as a lateral- and medial-head exercise, and the long head is stretched less than in overhead work. All three heads work, though: in a 12-week study, the arm trained with cable extensions at the side (close to a pushdown) grew its long head by 19.6% and the lateral and medial heads together by 10.5%.

Is the rope or the straight bar better?

Neither is better for everyone. The straight bar is the easiest to learn and to load. The rope lets your hands turn and spread apart at the bottom. Pick the one that feels best on your wrists and elbows, and switch every few weeks.

What is a V-bar pushdown?

The same exercise with a triangle-shaped bar that puts your palms at an angle. Many people find it easier on the wrists than the straight bar.

Pushdown or overhead extension: which is better?

Do both. In a 12-week study, overhead cable extensions grew the triceps more than extensions with the arm at the side, but both arms grew. The two exercises train the triceps in different arm positions.

Should I lock my elbows at the bottom?

With moderate weights, straighten your arms fully, but smoothly. With heavy weights, many advanced trainees stop just short of a full lockout to spare the elbows.

What is a good alternative to the pushdown without a cable?

A band pushdown with the band anchored above you works the same way. With dumbbells, try skull crushers or an overhead dumbbell extension.

Is the pushdown good for beginners?

Yes. The straight-bar version is easy to learn and makes it easy to feel the triceps working. Start light and learn to keep your elbows still.